Coral Catch

🌊 🩷 What happens when you combine female empowerment with coral restoration? You get Coral Catch—an incredible scholarship program founded by the inspiring Rose Huizenga that is paving the way for women to pursue impactful careers in marine conservation. I had the honour of discovering Rose and her amazing work through the Blue Water EduFest Awards 2024, where I served as a judge. Rose won the award for her visionary approach to marine conservation. Although we’ve had different journeys, I’m struck by how much our missions to empower women and protect the planet align. Here are 3 great reasons why you should support Coral Catch: 1️⃣ Empowering Women in Marine Conservation Coral Catch is breaking barriers by creating opportunities for women in a field that has been traditionally male-dominated, particularly at leadership levels. 2️⃣ Building a Network of Future Leaders This isn’t just about restoring coral reefs; Coral Catch is cultivating a powerful network of 100 female leaders over the next five years, all united in their commitment to protecting Indonesia’s marine ecosystems. 3️⃣ Creating Lasting Impact in Coastal Communities Coral Catch empowers local coastal communities to become active stewards of their environment, fostering sustainable practices that benefit both people and the planet. If you’re looking for a cause that combines empowerment and impact, Coral Catch is a fantastic way to make a real difference, in fact my NGO HER Planet Earth will be organising a trip there in 2025! 👉 Get involved today! Share your expertise with the Coral Catch Superwomen through an online masterclass. Sponsor a scholarship to support the next wave of ocean advocates. Visit www.coralcatch.org to learn more and become part of this transformative movement. Let’s protect our oceans while uplifting the next generation of female changemakers! 💙🌍 #WomenForOceans #MarineConservation #FemaleEmpowerment #CoralCatch #ClimateAction

🌊 The ocean is responsible for over half of the oxygen in the Earth’s atmosphere, making it a vital source of oxygen for life. Coral reefs provide an essential ecosystem for life underwater, protect coastal areas and provide a crucial source of income for millions of people. Coral reefs face significant threats, including global climate change, unsustainable fishing, and land-based pollution. These threats are human-caused, which means the power is in our hands to reverse the trend and protect coral reef ecosystems 💪 Coral Catch is a program providing scholarships to Indonesian women to launch and monitor coral reef restoration projects in the country 🤿🔎 One woman, one reef, one island at a time, we are restoring coral reefs, understanding their complexity, defending their diversity and preserving their beauty 💓 📷: by the talented Megan Hassa #ocean #coralreefs #ecosystem #protectcoralreefs #sustainability #conservation #restorecoralreefs #climatechange #sustainablefishing #WomenInScience #GenerationRestoration

Did you know? Coral reefs can grow up to 10 cm a year! 🪸✨ Clear, shallow waters are the perfect home for coral, where sunlight can reach them easily and help them thrive. However, when the water gets too warm, corals expel their algae (zooxanthellae) and turn white—this is called bleaching. But some corals have a beautiful trick: they glow in vibrant neon colors! 🌟 This glowing, or fluorescing, helps in two magical ways: Sunscreen: The pigments act like a natural sunscreen, protecting corals from heat and harmful UV rays. 🌞 Attracting Algae: The colors signal the algae to return, which is essential for the coral's survival. In some research, green pigments especially, help bring the algae back, restoring the vital coral-algae symbiosis that keeps the reef alive and healthy. 🪸💖 #CoralRestoration #MarineConservation #OceanConservation #CoralReef #CoralFragments #RestorationSite #MarineLife #EcoWarrior #ProtectOurOceans #CoralCatch #GenerationRestoration #PADIWomen #CoralCatch

Congratulations to Rose Huizenga of Coral Catch for receiving the prestigious Blue Water Heroes Award 2024 at Blue Water EduFest Singapore, November 8, 2024 – In a powerful moment at the Blue Water EduFest in Singapore, Rose Huizenga, founder of Coral Catch, received the Blue Water Heroes Award 2024 from Dr. Sylvia Earle in recognition of her outstanding contributions to marine conservation and gender equity in the field. Reflecting on the achievement, Rose shared, “When I walked onto the stage, I hugged Dr. Sylvia Earle and whispered, ‘Thank you for all you do and for spreading a message of hope.’ She replied, ‘I keep having hope because of people like you.’ Winning this award is a dream come true, and my hope is that this honor inspires young women everywhere to reach for the stars and to dream of ways to make the world a better place.” Coral Catch: A Vision for Marine Conservation and Gender Equality As Indonesia’s first all-female coral restoration team, Coral Catch combines marine conservation with a mission to foster gender equity. The organization’s nine-week scholarship program has already supported 32 Coral Catch Superwomen, all of whom have gone on to pursue careers in marine conservation or continued studies in marine sciences. Coral Catch’s vision extends far beyond coral reefs; it is also about transforming lives and building community. “They say that when you change a woman’s life, you change her entire community. Our success isn’t just about how many corals we plant or how much reef we restore. We measure success by how many lives we transform,” said Rose Coral Catch is actively working toward its mission of establishing a network of 100 female leaders dedicated to coral reef protection across Indonesia. Our team is so happy for Coral Catch's achievement. We are also grateful to have the opportunity to contribute by sharing our knowledge via the Coral Catch Masterclass. Read more about their story here and feel free to reach out to Avicenna Wijayanto if you are interested in supporting their mission: https://lnkd.in/giX2rvvh #coralcatch #bluewaterheroesaward #marineconservation #genderequity

🌊 Applications are Open! Become a Coral Catch Superwoman 🌊 Dreaming of a career in marine conservation? Here’s your chance! We’re thrilled to announce that applications for the Coral Catch Scholarship are NOW OPEN! This award-winning scholarship offers hands-on training in coral restoration and marine conservation—empowering women to make waves in the field of marine science. 🐠💙 What You’ll Get: ✔️ Complete over 50 scientific dives and gain hands-on practice using more than 10 different research methods. ✔️ Build your skills with courses like PADI Scientific Diver, Deep Adventure Dive, Conservation Diver Ecological Monitoring Program, and more! ✔️ Dive deeper into data collection and analysis, restoration and monitoring techniques, and project management. Plus, we cover mental health, public speaking, digital marketing, and, of course, leadership. ✔️ Connect with a community of passionate conservation leaders making real change! Whether you're a nature lover, a conservation enthusiast, or someone who’s just starting to explore this field, apply today and become a part of our growing community of Coral Catch Superwomen! 🦸🏽♀️💪🏼🩵 📝 Batch 9: January 5th - March 6th, 2024 🙅🏼♀️ Closing Date: November 23rd, 2024 📝 Batch 10: April 13th - June 12th, 2024 🙅🏼♀️ Closing Date: TBA 📝 Batch 11: September 7th - November 16th, 2024 🙅🏼♀️ Closing Date: TBA 🔗 Apply Today! https://lnkd.in/gpJnyN8v 📢 Spread the word! Tag friends and colleagues passionate about marine conservation. Kickstart your career in marine conservation and pave the way for your own coral conservation project! #CoralCatchScholarship #MarineConservation #EducationForChange 🐬🌎

And then suddenly, you hear your name, and your picture is up on the big screen… I can’t believe it! Did we really just win the Blue Water Heroes Award 2024? Growing up, I had a dream that didn’t seem to fit anywhere. I wanted multiple careers that would combine earning a living with making a difference; I wanted to be a mother and a global citizen. But there was no word for what I wanted, and no role models to show me how to live this way. Looking back - that young girl who couldn’t find anyone with the same dreams - has finally found her path. I’m so proud to have created a community where young women connect, learn, and grow together. Now, I get to watch them step into leadership roles and start inspiring the world around them. Thank you to every single person who has been part of this journey—because it truly has taken a community to get here. 🫰🏼A special thank you to all our Coral Catch Superwomen and my incredible team: thank you for having the courage to follow your dreams and dedicate your lives to protecting our ocean. 🫰🏼To our sponsors for supporting my mission: The International SeaKeepers Society, @blankfoundation and the Dreamboat Committee, PADI and PADI AWARE Foundation, Coral Gardeners, UK Artist Will Solomon and Way of Malama. 🫰🏼To our Coral Catch ambassadors for sharing your knowledge, wisdom, and passion, and for being the best mentors our Superwomen could wish for. 🫰🏼And to my family: my husband, who always supports my ideas (even when they seem completely crazy!), my daughters, Charlie and Lucie, who are my biggest motivation to protect the ocean, and my parents, who taught me to reach for the stars and never give up. Last but not least, I want to thank everyone who’s been part of the Blue Water EduFest and the Blue Water Heroes Award. Knowing I have your support drives me to keep going and work even harder to create real change. I promise to carry this honor forward with all the energy, love and dedication I have. With love, Rose

Life is better in color, and so are our reefs🪸 This November, we’re bleaching our logo once again to raise awareness about coral bleaching. Our Coral Catch Superwomen are working hard to restore the beauty of coral reefs, especially in Indonesia. Let’s protect the vibrant reefs we all love! 💙 #CoralBleachingAwareness #ProtectOurReefs

Do you know what they’re up to? 🧐 Our Coral Catch Superwomen are trained to design and build their own coral restoration structures—from sketching the plans, cutting the iron bars, to welding and coating the frames with sand. These women are hands-on in every step of the process, creating a brighter future for our oceans, one structure at a time! 💪🌿 #CoralCatchSuperwomen #WomenInConservation #CoralRestoration #OceanBuilders #MarineConservation #GenerationRestoration #CoralCatch #Superwomen

Strike a pose! Tag your dive buddy who loves capturing those perfect underwater moments! There’s nothing like the thrill of posing for the camera while exploring the ocean floor during a substrate dive. 🐠💙 From fun snapshots to meaningful conservation efforts, every dive creates memories—and photos—you’ll treasure forever! #UnderwaterPhotography #DiveBuddies #CoralCatchExplorers #SubstrateDive #OceanMemories #GirlsThatScuba #PADIWomen #GenerationRestoration

We’re incredibly proud of our ambassador, Emilia Fulgido for her amazing achievement in releasing a storybook about coral reef ecosystems titled “Coral Forests: A Marine Treasure to be Preserved” [translated from Italian]! This is a huge step in raising awareness about the importance of coral ecosystems. We hope this book inspires many to understand better and protect these vital marine treasures. #CoralCatchAmbassador #CoralConservation #GenerationRestoration